The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin ordered the start of a military operation in UkraineWhile his Ukrainian counterpart Volodimir Zelenski, decreed a general mobilization of Ukrainian troops.
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(Due to the public interest in the events between Russia and Ukraine, all of our coverage of that invasion and related actions will be freely accessible to all readers of TIME.)
(Don’t stop reading: Ukraine claims that it recaptured city in Lugansk and killed 50 Russian soldiers)
But Russia’s offensive on Ukraine, the world’s second-largest military power, confronts two countries whose military potential does not admit comparison neither in number of troops nor in quantity and quality of weapons and war equipment.
Russia, which integrated into the Soviet Union consolidated itself since the end of the Second World War as the great military and nuclear power together with the United States, in 2008 undertook a modernization process that has raised its military capacity at the best time since the dissolution of the USSR, as indicated by the 2022 Military Balance of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
Ukraine, which gave up its nuclear weapons in the 1990s after the disappearance of the USSR and its constitution as an independent country, has also improved its defensive forces in recent years, according to the ISSS study.
However, its weapons and equipment mostly come from the Soviet era, a legacy that also hampers its important defense industry.
The Ukrainian Army ranks 22nd among the most powerful armies in the index Global Fire Powera defense consultancy that compiles its index according to numerous variables that include military power, economy, logistical capacity or geography.
The difference between the annual budgets that the two countries allocate to defense gives an idea of the distance of their military power: Russia spends 154,000 million dollars and Ukraine invests 11,000 million, according to this consultancy.
Foreign military support to Ukraine
In addition to military troops that Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain and the United States have offered to Ukrainemobilizing troops to nearby countries such as Latvia or in some naval bases, which Putin asked to withdraw, from the West greater arms aid has been offered to the government in Kiev.
On a daily basis, Oleksiy Reznikov, the Ukrainian defense minister, has made public the shipments of weapons that have arrived in his country from the allies, especially the US and the UK, having the resources to face the invasion that Ukraine is currently undergoing by Russian forces.
At the same time, From Kiev, it was estimated that nearly 1,500 million dollars in military aid came from the countries in question, in addition to other members of the Otan. As for the weapons that arrived in Ukraine, these refer to Javelin and NLAW-type missiles. This type of weapon is classified as the most modern mobile anti-tank in the world and can be fired by a single man, given the ease of its use. use.
The javelin missile (translated from English), has a range of 2,000 meters and the ability to attack armored vehicles and pierce heavy tanks, attacking their weakest points. For its part, the NLAW provided from Great Britain, has less range capacity, but similar attack power to US weapons.
On the other hand, in ground-air defense, Ukraine received Stinger and GROM missiles, coming from the US and Polandwith attack capacity close to three kilometers and with the possibility of being operated by a single man.
the armed forces of Ukraine also have possession of up to 20 unmanned drones Turkish origin, operated with Ukrainian engines, reference Bayraktar, capable of carrying bombs and aerial reconnaissance.
From the Czech Republic there were also shipments of supplies consisting of protection for the Ukrainian soldiers, summarized in helmets and vests, as well as artillery ammunition and fuse parts that also arrived from Poland.
The armies of the two countries
The number of troops available to the Russian Army is more than four times higher than that of Ukraine. Russia has nearly 900,000 active military personnel (280,000 from the Army, 150,000 in the Navy and 165,000 in the Air, to which must be added 130,000 belonging to airborne units and other strategic and special forces, and 180,000 command and support).
Ukraine has about 200,000 troops (125,000 from the ground, 15,000 from the Navy, 35,000 from the Air Force, 20,000 in the airborne units and 1,000 in the special operations forces). To these must be added 100,000 paramilitary and gendarmerie personnel and 900,000 reservists.
According to data from Global Fire Power, the Russian air force consists of 4,173 aircraft, compared to 318 in Ukraine. The number of Russian fighter jets is 772, and the Ukraine’s is 69.
Russian attack and support aircraft are 739 to 29 Ukrainian. The Russian army has 1,543 helicopters, of which 540 are combat helicopters. Ukraine 112 and 34, respectively. As for the ground forces, the Russian Armed Forces have 12,420 battle tanks compared to 2,596 for the Ukrainians.
The number of Russian armored vehicles is 30,122 and the Ukrainian 12,303. The Russian artillery has 6,574 self-propelled batteries and the Ukraine 1,067. The Russians add 3,391 missile launchers and the Ukrainians 490. In relation to the naval force, the difference is 605 ships to 38 in favor of Russia.
The Russian fleet is made up of one aircraft carrier, 70 submarines, 15 destroyers, 11 frigates, 86 corvettes, 59 patrol boats and 49 minesweepers. The Ukrainian Navy is limited to one frigate, one corvette, 13 patrol boats and one minesweeper.
EFE
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